Indians in UAE to Enjoy Wider UPI Payment Access
Indian tourists visiting the United Arab Emirates will soon have the ease of using Unified Payments Interface for payments at more merchant locations. The reason for this is the new partnership that NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) has signed with Magnati, a leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East.
This collaboration seeks to massively grow the QR-based merchant payment network across the UAE, thus expanding the number of merchants who would be able to take UPI payments from Indian tourists. It first targets Dubai Duty-Free, and the target population will be the Indian tourist as the rollout, according to a statement from NIPL, expands to other sectors, such as retail, hospitality, transport, and supermarkets.
NIPL, the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), said the partnership would ensure seamless payment options for the over 12 million Indians who visit Dubai and the UAE annually.
NIPL CEO, Ritesh Shukla said the joint venture would realize NIPL's vision of bringing to Indian travelers a global digital payments network so as to upgrade the payment experience when abroad, in addition to forging stronger economic and cultural links between India and the UAE.
According to Salim Awan, MD Institutional Payment Solutions at Magnati, this association would help better digital payments besides simplifying the cross-border transaction for Indian tourists and non-resident Indians (NRIs) alike. This collaboration marks another commitment towards innovation and a well-connected global payments ecosystem, added Salim.
India continues to lead the way in international tourists to Dubai, reaching 11.9 million in 2023, surpassing Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. UPI is one of the world's most successful real-time payment systems and processed over 16 billion transactions in December 2024. It is accepted in seven countries: Bhutan, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and France, with over 20 apps facilitating international UPI transactions.
